Roofing and roof construction



June 23', 1953 c. A. M ELHONE I 2.6

ROOFING AND ROOF CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 19, 1951 INVENTOR. Char/e5 A. McE/hone ATM/EX Patented June 23, 1953 'ROOFING AND ROOF CONSTRUCTION Charles A. McElhone, Allen Park, Micln, assignor to Copco Steel and Engineering Company, Detroit, Mich.;-a corporation of Michigan Application October 19, 1951, Serial No. 252,166

4 Claims. (01. ns- 13) This invention relates to "a roofing and roof construction in which metal roofing panels or sheets are arranged with a novel and inventive lap joint that is integrated with the'roof structure and framing.

In steel housing construction, the roofsection is generally composed of metal trusses that support a panel or panels of roofing material.

Where steel is used as the principal construction material, the trusses are of steel throughout, and the roofing sheet and ridge cap are of steel or copper, the steel being suitably coated to withstand the ravages of weather, sun and other natural elements.

A roof for a housing unit may be of a simple type, such as a ridge roof terminating in gables, or more complex, like gambrel, curb, mansard, monitor, and other roofs. In each case, however, there is present a portion or area that is a plane and is coverable with a sheet of roofing material. The covering of the roof area, forsteel housing, is generally steel arranged in sheets. If the length of the plane roof portion to be covered is greater than the size of a standard available sheet panel, then more than'one panel is required. It is in relation to the use of more than a single panel on a plane portion of the roof area that this invention provides a simple and novel solution.

One object of this invention is the provisio of roofing sheets or panels that require no sublayer or sheathing for their use. Another object is to provide a lap joint for the roofing sheets that integrates the roofing with the rooifram ing structure. A further object is the provision of a simple, effective roofing panel joint. Still another object is the achievement of a more rigid lap joint and the mechanical and structural advantages which this inventive construction provides. Another object is the provision of a roof covering that is inexpensive to produce and simple to install. Additional objects of the invention will be indicated in the description given below.

The description together with the appended The terms employed are used for purposes of descriptiongand not of limitation; p Reference is now made to the drawing annexed hereto andforming anintegral part of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ridge roof incorporating the inventive construction.

.. Fig. 2. is a vertical sectional view onthe line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. v

'Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showinga modified form of the invention.

The excellent progress'made by steel rolling mills in providing constantly wider sheets of metalhas made it possible to simplify the roofing construction problem to a point where a singlesheet of steel can be arranged to cover the plane area of a small roof. But in most housing units, the roof area is so large that even these very wide panels cannot cover with a single sheet, but require a group or combination of sheets of steel. In the description which follows, one side of a ridge roof will be considered as a matter of expediency, it being clearly understood that the other side of the roof is arranged in a similar manner, and that the plane area of any roof can also be so constructed.

Roof I0 is covered with a center section panel l2 and two end panels l4,-of conventional lap design, in which the laps simulatewood or'as-. I

p'halt shingles in alignment. The center panel 12 is made ofsheet gage metal, lapped on a brake press or by roll forming equipment, such as a Yoder or corrugating machine. A lap joint tions which persons skilled in the art may make.

ledge or lip I 6 is arranged along each vertical edge of the panel I2, to which edge the inside contiguous'edge of end panels l4 will be joined. The lip l6 lies below the plane of each lap I8 and riser 20 of the central panel I 2, and extends outwardly for a short distance along each vertical side of the panel. The lip 16 is a separate strip of metal that is lapped identically as is the center panel, I2, and is afilxed to the center paneledge by welding or riveting, as preferred. A thin layer of adhesive or mastic 22 overlays the lip 16 to seal the joint made when the edge of end panel I4 is laid thereon and permanently aflixed. A sealing shoulder I1 is provided at the line where the center panel I2 ends and against which the butting edge of end panel I4 is placed. The three layers of material-metal, mastic, and metalso arranged at the lap joint will provide a fiush plane roof surface appearance.

Roofing panels I2 and I4 lie directly upon top chords 24 of steel trusses 26. Rivets 28, or other suitable fasteners, aflix the panels I2 and I4 in lap arrangement, with a thin layer of waterproofing mastic 22 between them, to the top chords 24. The roofing panel gage of sheet metal is such that a sub-layer or sheathing is not required to support the panels I2 and I4. In fact, these roofing panels act and serve. as stitfeners for the roof truss framing, and assist materially in resistance to rack, shift and twist of the roof section. For most roofs, trusses 26 are uniformly spaced along the length of roof III.

In the application of the novel and inventive roofing construction to roof I0, center panel I2 is first aflixed to trusses 26 by means of fasteners.

28, except along the lips I6. A thin, but suflicient, coating of mastic 22 is then applied over the upper surface of lip I6 up to the shoulder I1. End panels I4 are next laid upon trusses 26, their vertical inside edges resting upon the mastic 22 and up against shoulder II. Fasteners 28 are passed through coincident openings in the lap joint thus formed affixing the lap joint edges of center and end panels to chords 24 of trusses 26. A metal ridge, cap 30 is appli'ed'over-the top horizontal edges of panels I2 and I4 at the ridge of roof I0. Blind drive-pin rivets will serve as fasteners 28, or any other type of fastener which is suitable can be used.

A perfect weather-tight contact between the edge of panel I4 and panel I2 at shoulder I1 is not always possible, and asmall gap generally appears between them. This opening is not desirable from a corrosion resistance standpoint, and to solve the diificulty a small ribbon of caulking material or Weatherproofing mastic 22 is applied inthe gap, sealing the opening at shoulder I1. By proper application of the sealing material, roof III can be finished to present a flush unit-panel appearance. I

It should be noted that although the metal thickness at the lap joint is at least twice that at any other fastening point on the roof, the small thin gages of metal used and the thin layer of adhesive mastic required do not cause any appreciable distortion in the roofing. There is no objectionable Wavy appearance, that might be expected from lapping. v

A modification of'this inventiveconstruction is shown in Fig- 4, where center panel I2 has attached near its outer. vertical edge a spacer strip 32 between panel I2 and lip' I6. Welding, riveting, or other suitable-method may be used as the method of attachment. By this arrangement, an open space 34 is created under the edge of panel I2. End panel I4 has attached, by any suitable method, to its under side and. at its outer vertical edge, a lip 36 that projects slightly beyond the edge of the panel, and is designed to slip into the open pocket space 34, and to dovetail with the edge of center panel I2. End panel sheet I4 is cos-planar with center panel sheet I2, end panel lip 36 is co-planar with center panel spacing strip 32,. and center panel lip I6 encases end panel lip 38; A thin layer of mastic 22"overl'ays the lip I6 of center panel. I2 and upon insertion of'end panel lip 36'into the pocket space 3 4, a dovetailingv lap joint is created that is not only extremely rigid andsecure, but also provides a weathertight seal. The small surface gap between the edge of end panel I4 and the edge of center panel I2 can be filled with mastic 22 or any good caulking material.

Installation of this modified form of the invention is almost identical with that above described for the simplified lap joint. Three thicknesses of metal and a thin layer of adhesive mastic constitute the lap joint that is securely fastened to the truss top chord 24, by fasteners 28. The pocket 34 may be filled with a sealing compound, or not, as desired. If left unfilled, pocket 34 will provide space to. takeup'normal expansion due to. heat and other natural causes, without adding to the stresses upon the joint.

Having described my invention in its very simplest terms, it is to be understood that the details of. the foregoing specification may be changed and varied in greater or lesser degree without departing, from the essence of my invention.

I claim:

1. A roofing construction for housing units in which plane roof areas occur and including metal trusses and sheet metal roofing panels, consisting of sheet metal roofing panels in which a center panel having its side edges arranged with protruding lower lips separated from said panel by a spacing strip is joined with end panels having attached protruding lower lips on the side edges contiguous to the shouldered spaced lips of said center panel, the lips of said end panels protruding sufiiciently to dovetail with the lips of said center panel, and a layer of adhesive mastic overlaying said center panel lips and under said end panel lips,.the formed three layer sealed lap and butt joint being affixed to said metal trusses by suitable fasteners passed through said end panels, said center panel protruding lower lips and said metal trusses.

2. A roofing construction for building structures including metal trusses and roofing panels, consisting of a sheet metal roofing panel having a side edge arranged with a protruding lower lip spaced therefrom by a spacer strip between said panel and said lip, the panel, spacer strip and lip being suitably fastened together into a unit edge including a pocket space defined by said panel edge, spacer strip and protruding lower lip, a contiguous roofing. panel having a dovetailing side edge arranged with a shouldered protruding lower lip directly attached to and under said side edge, whereby said latter lip dovetails with said former lip substantially filling said pocket space, said panels being arranged coplanar and flush in a combined lap and butt relationship, and a layer of adhesive mastic between said lips providing a Weather-tight seal and forming a three layer lap joint attachable to said metal trusses and pre senting afiush surface appearance at said" lap joint.

3. A- metal roofing construction for housing units in which plane roof areas occur and including metal roofing. panelsupporting trusses and roofing panels of lap. configuration, consisting. ofa center and end roofing panels, said center roofing panel having-its outer side edges arranged with shoulder lips, said shoulder lips being affixed under the said outer sideedges of said center roofing panel by welding, said center rooting panel being conjoined to and abutting said end roofing panels, the inner side edges of said end roofing panels-lying upon and being conjoined to said shoulder lips of said center roofing panel, a mastic layer therebetween, said inher side edges of said end panels butting against the outer side edges of said center panel in substantially flush coplanar alignment, and fasteners passing through said end panel, center panel shoulder lip and metal truss, conjoining them.

4. A roofing construction for the plane areas 01' a roof covering a building structure in which sheet metal roofing panels are applied directly to a roof supporting framework, consisting of a sheet metal roofing panel having a protruding lip 10 attached thereto along and underneath each vertical side edge thereof and on a plane depressed below and adjacent the plane of said center roofing panel, and a contiguous roofing panel conjoined to said first panel over a layer of adhesive 16 said contiguous panel, said panels being arranged coplanar and abutting each other and lapping each other at said protruding lip and being con-' joined and afiixed as a lap joint to said framework by suitable fastening means.

CHARLES A. McELHONE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,959,880 Sims May 22, 1934 2,390,697 Eason Dec. 11, 1945 2,552,159 Eason May 8, 1951 

